Steve's Sweep

[Rakuku]

Has anyone noticed Steve's always using this guy?

(pattern)

----------8-11---------------
--------9------------------
-----10---------------------
---8-----------------------
--------------------------
--------------------------

[mi2tom]

Has anyone noticed Steve's always using this guy?

(pattern)

----------8-11---------------
--------9------------------
-----10---------------------
---8-----------------------
--------------------------
--------------------------

yeap it's true

[GrazZ]

all the time, looks to be his fav

[petethegreat]

Its a great sweep to do, fairly easy too

[GuitarAlien7]

cool pattern

[Splish]

I think you'll also find he uses two other ones as well. Check out the three string sweep at the end of the Fire Garden Suite and the five string shape (which is similar to the four string sweep transcribed above) in the solo section to Building the Church

[llamahead]

I think you'll also find he uses two other ones as well. Check out the three string sweep at the end of the Fire Garden Suite and the five string shape (which is similar to the four string sweep transcribed above) in the solo section to Building the Church

yeah, you beat me to it. i was gonna say "building the church" and it's the same going back down at the end of the slide

[ibzguitarist]

It's a great pattern, at least this way you don't have to memorize tons of sweep patterns every time you learn a Vai song with sweep sections.

[Roger]

I think you'll also find he uses two other ones as well. Check out the three string sweep at the end of the Fire Garden Suite and the five string shape (which is similar to the four string sweep transcribed above) in the solo section to Building the Church

yeah, you beat me to it. i was gonna say "building the church" and it's the same going back down at the end of the slide

But it is so secret that if you told us you'd have to kill us?

[TheCentralScrutinizer]

Its used a lot in FLOG too i think

[budt]

On closer inspection, its even more ingenious than one would think. Steve "invented" a way to play extended harmony all over the neck with just one grip, sweeping and leading with the pinky. Once you know the secret, you can play extended harmony (in any key) without even knowing the theory!

Example in E minor:

Play open D string and hammer with index finger to 2nd fret for barre.

Barre that grip on fret 2 - "Em9"
- sweep through and hammer pinky to 5th fret; slide pinky to 10th, for a reverse sweep (see next step)

Barre that grip on fret 7 - "Em11"
- lift pinky and reverse sweep; slide index (which is barring) to 9th fret

Barre that grip on fret 9 - "Em13"
- sweep back through and hammer pinky to fret 12

Slide pinky to 17th fret and trill 12-17 for nice touch.

(...... grip ........ pinky ...... grip . index . grip ...... pinky)

-------------2------5-----10---7------------------9-----12----17--12-17-12----
-----------3-----------------------8------------10---------------------------------
---------4---------------------------9--------11-----------------------------------
----0--2-------------------------------7----9--------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-0---------------------------------------------------------------------------------0-

NOTE: He transposes this idea to E major for a sweep lick in the outro of Big Trouble.

(I think he may have stumbled upon this idea while studying Frank Zappa's Zoot Allures, although in that song the grips change as you go up the neck. )

[llamahead]

I think you'll also find he uses two other ones as well. Check out the three string sweep at the end of the Fire Garden Suite and the five string shape (which is similar to the four string sweep transcribed above) in the solo section to Building the Church

yeah, you beat me to it. i was gonna say "building the church" and it's the same going back down at the end of the slide

But it is so secret that if you told us you'd have to kill us?

possibly . . . . . .

[Splish]

On closer inspection, its even more ingenious than one would think. Steve "invented" a way to play extended harmony all over the neck with just one grip, sweeping and leading with the pinky. Once you know the secret, you can play extended harmony (in any key) without even knowing the theory!

I'm glad someone has explained this to me. It makes so much sense! And of course makes me realise how brilliant Steve actually is.

[Roger]

Steve "invented" a way to play extended harmony all over the neck with just one grip,

What you're really saying is that he is one lazy bastard?

[budt]

Steve "invented" a way to play extended harmony all over the neck with just one grip,

What you're really saying is that he is one lazy bastard?

No, not at all. I think its brilliant. Only those jazz elitists who drown themselves in matrices of even tempered thirds (with an ionian bias) would say that! This is much more open. Of course, its hard to use this idea without sounding just like Steve, himself. But therein lies a challenge ...